Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
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From: ltorres@grok81.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Luis E. Torres)
Subject: Re: IF Business venture?
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References: <bb500.766772096@KingsX> <9404212218591.bnewell.DLITE@delphi.com> <2p8ov5$6nq@b63519.student.cwru.edu> <CopwAL.4FK@ncrcae.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM>
Date: Sat, 23 Apr 1994 16:28:15 GMT
Lines: 43

As long as we are in this discussion, we might as well accept that the market
for IF is very small, and it doesn't matter that YOU and I are interested in
 getting the cool IF games if there's this huge audience out there that is
 ignoring them, and that, in my opinion, some of us are ignoring. In my opinion
 there is no reason you can't write a game that you like and feel comfortable
 with, and that satisfies the cravings of most of that audience at the same
 time.

In a straight business sense, it seems to me that the best alternative would be
 to create a hybrid mix of the text-adventure interface in a GUI. Sure, most of
 use are not willing to sacrifice the rich text descriptions for
 artist-commisioned graphics, but there are situations where a judicious use of
 graphics can help gain market acceptance while enhancing the game itself.

For example, we know no GUI drag-n-drop will ever replace a parser that can
 understand SMEAR THE GOBLIN WITH THE CHOCOLATE FUDGE CUPCAKE, but a GET, PUT,
 NORTH, etc, are good examples of commands that can be easily coded
 simultaneously as a text command and as a GUI method.

Another example is a graphical third-person 3D scrolling "tabletop" view of the
 playing field/maze/whatever in a separate window, in a very crude sort of way
 similar to the method used in the Ultima VII series. If the graphics are drawn
 simply enough as to just represent walls, doors, objects and such, instead of
 really being graphical descriptions of those (which leaves lots of room to
 make text descriptions of the rooms and include all the detail we want), then
 this windowed graphic can add a tactical element to the adventure, especially
 in sequences with multiple characters. I'm currently working on something like
 this. Since the adventure accepts standard IF text commands anyway, the
 tabletop view acts as a mapping help, and as a "hook" for those people out
 there who love IF and just don't know it yet.

Of course the main problem that throws these ideas right out the window (get
 it?) is that they are dependent on one GUI, at least until we can get a
 graphical standard between System 7, Windows, X-Window, OS/2 and all the rest.
 But I think that, from a business standpoint, the installed base for either
 one of PC-Windows or System 7 should make a big market, probably bigger than
 the whole multi-platform IF market.

(but who cares about making money, anyway? 8-) )

Luis

(PS: Sorry to post again, but I think my first posting got lost somewhere on the net)
